Techniques for building up our emotions when we are struggling.

Sometimes it is difficult to get our emotions going. We may need a jumpstart. Alex Blackwell gives us several techniques to get our emotions going in his article 22 Sure-Fire Igniters for Inspiration. I want to highlight a couple of his suggestions that are particularly effective for me and add one of my own.

1. Watch a movie. Movies are designed to stir our emotions. We have all walked out of a movie feeling emotionally charged at one time or another. In this state, we are ready to take on the world. We can use this intentionally to ignite us. I can feel my emotions stirred when I watch just the trailers to movies like Gladiator, Braveheart, and TopGun. Give it a try. Click on one of the links and watch the brief trailer on YouTube. If one of these doesn’t inspire you, then you may need to check for a pulse.
2. Read a book. Good books are also great sources of inspiration in our lives. Like movies, they tell stories that stir us. They create moving pictures in our minds. I can read one chapter of a great book and walk away feeling enthusiastic, powerful, and confident. This is the kind of emotion we need to get off high center on a goal. I personally prefer non-fiction. I like classic success books like Think and Grow Rich and As A Man Thinketh. I also like anything by Brian Tracy. These books are all inexpensive, but powerful and often I can read just one chapter and feel energized.
3. Listen to a motivational speaker. These guys are supposed to motivate us, right? Why not use them when we need them? Motivation is really nothing more than creating emotions that propel us to act in a certain way. Think about it. These speakers use enthusiasm, the inflection in their voices, and stories to invoke our emotions. We walk away feeling energized and ready to conquer any obstacle. I especially like guys like Larry Winget and Jeffrey Gitomer because they are "in your face". They provide me a wake-up call. This is what gets my emotions and determination going.

Success is all up to you.

Again, the key is to do what works for you. What gets your blood pumping and excites you? You can use your emotions to super-charge yourself and create the intensity you need to achieve your goals. You are the only one that is going to make this happen for yourself. It is a simple technique, but very effective. The next time you have a big desire that you want to achieve start by creating a clear and vivid mental image of your objective, find a photograph that symbolizes the goal, and use movies, books, and speakers to keep yourself fired up. The intensity you intentionally create in yourself by using your emotions will accelerate your success.